PC candidate's privates appear on Twitter

Rookie PC candidate George Lepp says he’s embarrassed that a photo of his family jewels was posted on his campaign Twitter account for about 20 minutes before it was quickly unzipped.

Alan Sakach, communications director for the Ontario Conservatives, said the photo was inadvertently taken by Lepp’s BlackBerry when it was in his front pocket. The photo was posted after someone took it from the candidate for the riding of Niagara Falls, according to Sakach.

“He is pretty upset and embarrassed,” Sakach said of a photo that was posted on Lepp’s account Sunday. “It was removed as soon as it came to his attention.”

The Toronto Sun obtained grainy copies of the Twitter page images before they were removed.

The pictures — too graphic to reproduce in the newspaper — are of a man naked from the waist down, showing a close up of his penis and his crossed legs.

Sakach said the device was operating on camera mode in his front pant pocket when it went missing. He added that Lepp suspects it was taken as he was jostled by protesters outside the Dixon Rd. convention centre where the Tories met for the party’s weekend convention.

Sakach said he didn’t know if police were called about the stolen BlackBerry.

“It was an unfortunate circumstance,” Sakach said on Sunday. “This is pretty low and juvenile and we don’t believe it is politically motivated.”

Lepp, a Niagara-on-the-Lake farmer and businessman, put the boots last November to Sandy Annunziata, a former Fort Erie town councillor and Canadian Football League all-star, in a battle to become the Tory candidate in the provincial riding of Niagara Falls for October’s election.

His website credits him for organizing successful fundraisers for John Tory and

Tim Hudak.

Sakach said the image was first noticed by Lepp’s son, who administers the

Twitter account, and was immediately removed.

Lepp, who couldn’t be reached for comment, had been filing daily dispatches from the Tory convention to his more than 80 Twitter followers.

On Friday, he told followers “1500 people meeting in Toronto to support

Ontario working families to stop McGuintys tax and spend policy that is

killing Ontario Jobs.”

Lepp graduated from the University of Guelph in Agriculture Economics, and was responsible for more than 200 employees while serving as vice-president of the Vineland Growers’ Cooperative, the largest shipper of tender fruit in Ontario.

Lepp is credited with helping to restructure the sales and marketing of Ontario’s grape and tender fruit industry to provide a more stable livelihood for farmers.